I’ve wanted to blog about Iori for quite some time now. It’s long been one of my favourite Canberran restaurants, and I’ve honed my order into entree-main-dessert perfection.

Unfortunately, Iori is tucked in a building without windows, which means the lighting is always low and not conducive to good photography. Ergo no blogging. However, I can no longer resist talking it up, so let’s all make nice and accept the supbar photos. Woot!

I’ve been to Iori for many excitingcelebrationtimes, including my birthday, family birthdays, treat nights, friends’ birthdays, and first dates. (In fact, I once received a late-night text from a friend whose birthday I’d years-ago celebrated at Iori, saying “Did I just see you at Iori on a date? I was there with my boyfriend too!” Clearly, she and I are creatures of habit.)

Last Saturday, my parents and I went to Iori to celebrate my dad’s birthday, and we started with the large sashimi platter. This is always my pick of the entrees. The sashimi is fresh, delicious, and interesting, going beyond the standard tuna, salmon, and kingfish options to include raw scallop, octopus, and three types of roe. As ever, we were very happy with this, particularly as we each have our favourites and didn’t have to duel at all.For his main, my dad ordered the Gyu-Sara: “Famous Japanese Gyu-don style beef with Onsen egg”. Personally, I think he should have ordered one of the kitschy-and-ridiculously-named dishes that Iori is so fond of, such as the “A.T.M” (“Assorted Tremendous Meal”), “This Is What I’m Talkin’ Bout”, “G.S.T.” (“Great Spirit of Tasmania”), or “Honey May I Call U Honey?” Yes you may, honey.

Please excuse the even-more-terrible photo; it was taken pre-blog.

My mum, like me, tends to order the same main. Her dish of choice is the Yakiniku, which is pork “in a delicious ginger sauce”. She’s a fan.

My main-of-choice is always the Kaki Nabe, a hot pot of oysters in a miso or dashi broth. The hot pot comes with a flickering blue flame underneath that keeps the broth bubbling, and is jam-packed with cabbage, carrots, tofu, a little bundle of rice noodles tied in a knot, the oysters, and at least one shiitake mushroom that I always save for last because it is the most delicious of all the things.

On other visits to Iori, I’ve sampled dishes like the above Tempura Soft Shell Crab…

…whilst scouring others’ meals in the hopes of finding pickles to steal.

Once pickle-searching is complete, my thoughts inevitably turn to the dessert that I yearn for despite the hurt it brings to my lactard self:

Black sesame ice cream, hurrah!

Except, well, can we please pause to consider why oh why the chef chose to plate the ice cream and wafer in this formation? (I mean, apart from the novelty factor, which caused my mum and me to burst into giggles while my dad rolled his eyes at us.) Is this some sort of not-subtle jab at my recent decision to return to singledom right before Valentine’s Day? If so, I take your sly and mean-spirited message, Iori, and I eat it. HAHAHA I WIN.

My parents shared Iori’s current “limited edition” dessert platter (only five available per day! Get it while you can!). It included lychee sorbet (nice), green tea daifuku filled with black sesame ice cream (my mother experienced hilarious [to me] brain-freeze twice in a row before deciding to give up on this), strawberry-filled mochi that was “seared delightfully”, according to the menu (“It is delightful!” chirped my mother), and a fried crepe roll filled with red bean that I thought tasted like toffee.

Many visits ago (again pre-blog, so the photo is worse than the rest), my mother ordered the green tea mousse with lychee sorbet, which was also muchly enjoyed.

Do I wish I had better photos of Iori to entice you with? Yes. Do I hope that you trust me when I say that Iori is fantastic and you should visit? Yes. Was it my father’s birthday on Saturday and my brother’s birthday on Friday? Yes. Happy birthday menfolk!

Jealous! Everything really does look very good and very authentic. I am also a Japanese pickle thief, they are so unusual and so yummy! And black sesame is my all time favorite dessert flavor and absolutely cannot be diminished by it’s phallic presentation.

I fear that our friendship will dissolve in a vicious pickle battle if we ever visit a Japanese restaurant together. Unless, of course, we *each* order a side of pickles so that when we steal each other’s, we still end up with an equal amount 😉

Isn’t black sesame just the best? Along with chestnut desserts. Which, by the by, I discovered in Kyoto too 🙂

Hahahhah – phalluses (phalli??) for all ! ….errr. I would like to get my hands on an Assorted Tremendous Meal! ….ERRRR.

Poor. sentence. placement.

Even if you hate the photos, I know that this food is telling me it’s delicious. It still looks delicious. It’s Japanese, lands sakes alive, of course it’s delicious! Delicious delicious delicious. [This is where the ATM comment belongs]

*laughs and laughs and laughs* Who wouldn’t want to get their hands on an.. erm… Assorted Tremendous Meal? 😉 And hurrah for deliciousness that transcends horrific photography! And for saved-to-be-savoured savoury mushrooms! (See what I did there?)

Teehee, I was just about to tag you in this on Facebook! I LOVE THAT YOU READ THIS! 😀

Hmm. I recommend that the occasion be “National Li Is Awesome Day”. 😉 Beef tataki… that’s raw? Like a Japanese beef tartare? Or am I completely making that up? I haven’t been to Coo; the parents have and weren’t blown away. Though they did go right when it opened. What’s been your experience?

Teehee, I think everyday is clearly ‘National Li is Awesome Day’ 😉 I will have to float this notion and see how he reacts…

Yes beef tataki is raw beef like beef tartare! It’s the sauce that is truly excellent 🙂 I salivate at the thought! Did you know that Iori has a slightly different menu at lunchtime? Every time I go there for lunch, I have the Hamburger Steak. I don’t know what it is about that particular dish, but on the occasions I don’t get it, I always suffer deep bouts of food regret for the rest of the day! I think the lunch menu isn’t as tasty though, there’s no sushi/sashimi platters for one…

I don’t mind Coo, it’s definitely not as good as Iori but it’s got its own charm. All the food comes in smaller/sharing-friendly servings and you’re supposed to drink sake with it all (but who does that, really? :P) They have a sushi called TNT Roll – and it really is TNT! The first time I had it, I thought my head was going to explode.

PS sorry about taking so long to respond to this, I’ve had this window opened since you first replied and just kept forgetting.

I imagine your apology is directed mainly to the male member of your family for referring to that pipsqueak of a thing as a phallic symbol. But why, oh why, do people today see sex reflected or suggested in so many weirdly (to my mind) unrelated things. Whilst being a beautiful and exciting part of life, it is but a small part and is an expression of love that grows from friendship, a meeting of minds, loyalty, compassion (as much as passion) and a desire to please as much as to be pleased. I never see a comparison with nature in some of the other dishes photographed which remind me of the natural world of flowers and sunsets, etc. But then I’m just an old lady!

I have, without a doubt, the very best grandma in all the world. Wit and wisdom, all in the same comment! I must say, Dad didn’t see it either, whereas Mum and I did. I’d like to think this is because we both studied/have an intellectual interest in gender studies and feminism and Freud and so on… but that’s probably me reaching for justification where there is none 😛

I love Iori, I was just complaining to S the other day that we haven’t had it in ages. I’ve also been meaning to try Iori’s sister restaurant Coo which is right next door, however I have discovered a new fav Japanese place. It is in Dickson right next to the big Italian place on the end of the main strip, just before the courtyard. Clearly I have no idea what it is called, and ordering there is always a challenge as English is most definitely the second language for everyone who works but by golly it is good.

Oh and yes, give me a phallic dessert any day. I’ve never been able to look at a canoli the same way since my sister made some very inappropriate comments about them, but it hasn’t stopped me eating my favourite cream filled italian donuts!

My parents weren’t hugely impressed by Coo, but I think that might be because they’ve gone to Japan so many times and love izakayas, so were hoping for an experience to equal that. Though apparently they impressed the owner by asking for chicken cartilage in Japanese 😉 I pretty much never go to Dickson, but now feel I must! Do you mean next to Suburban? I have no idea where the courtyard is…

Teehee, yes, cream-filled tubes are pretty hard to take seriously. I’ve always been safe from cannoli, though, as have never liked them much!

Nope the other end of the strip from Suburban, possibly the place next door is Mosaics???? Anyway, opposite the pub and the courtyard is the bit with Trinity bar backing on to it. My god, I’ve just realised I navigate by bars – opps!

It was my mum’s birthday on Saturday! Happy day! 😛
Perhaps I don’t have much of an imagination, but how else could the chef have arranged that dessert? I guess he could have stacked one ice-cream ball on top of the other, and stuck the wafer on top. I’d be concerned about the creation toppling over though. 😉

Ahhhh my favourite! And you’ve reminded me that now mini-Kat has hatched, I can get back on the sushi train (though obviously not at sushi train itself).
If you haven’t tried the Nasu Dengaku before you should! Or convince someone you’re with to order it, and steal a bit. It’s deep fried eggplant with miso-sesame sauce, so much more delicious than it sounds.

Bahaha! Best description of having a child ever. Bravo, Kat, bravo. I’ve long been tempted by nasu dengaku, actually, because I adore all things miso and sesame, but have this squeamishness about eggplant’s texture that I have to get over first…

The photos are not that bad!! At least it’s had me salivating 😀 Everything looks so tasty…it’s not good to entice me about this place since I don’t live in Canberra. 🙁 Wish I found out about it when I lived in Sydney!

I like to consider myself a pretty adventurous eater but there there are certain places where I have my favourite dishes BUT different favourite dishes in different places so that’s OK I reckon! Great post Hannah.

I don’t think anyone could ever look at how completely you demolish chicken bones and not call you an adventurous eater 😉 And you’re absolutely right! If you and I went to every restaurant demanding Kaki Nabe and Yakiniku, we’d be in trouble, but I think as it is we’re doing okay. Thanks Mum 🙂

I must admit the dishes still looked (or sounded) appealing, poor or dark lighting conditions notwithstanding. I did not understand what u were thinking abt w the blk sesame dessert until much much later, lol slow me. 😀

So I was cracking up at your ‘lactard’ comment, and hadn’t even read what you’d written about the dessert photo, and I was already thinking ‘ha, skinny penis and seedy black balls’ (!)

There was a restaurant in Melbourne that served up a free dessert if it was your birthday… a deep fried banana and 2 scoops of deep fried ice cream…. it looked so realistic that they must have been doing it intentionally (?) Anyway, we would always suggest this restaurant to an unsuspecting male friend on their birthday and the proceed to make them eat deep fried cock and balls. Ha.

I promise WHEN I make it to Canberra, I shall take YOU on a date to Iori…. Japanese is my all time FAV cuisine 🙂

I was taking photos of food and chocolate (and tasting notes) for years before I started my blog, though the photos are, in a word, horrific. 😛 But oh gosh, these days I look at my non-blogging friends and general people-in-the-world and think “what do you do with your nights?! How are all those hours filled?!” Still, I wouldn’t trade in this second (unpaid) job for the world 😛

Also… Perthing? You do realise I’m in Canberra, right? I don’t want you to fly over here and go to the wrong city! 😛

I say yay. At one of the many Vietnamese restaurants on victoria st, if you say it’s your birthday they bring out a penis shaped ice-cream cake. So yeah, I say YAY. I love that pic of your family 🙂 & the food looks so yummy! I love japanese, such a fun cuisine. SO different to what I grew up eating.
Heidi xo

I’m always so impressed with your food choices. I can’t imagine ever having the nerve to order a pot of oysters. I only ever eat oysters raw, and I can’t even imagine eating one in a soup?!?!!? But of course, reading this makes me want to.

I totally get where you’re coming from, because I’ve long been adamant about only eating oysters raw and natural. No kilpatrick or fancy sauces for me! However, I was intrigued by this dish the first time I saw it, and have never looked back.

I’ll still only ever order a half-dozen natural oysters for entree, though 🙂

This is not the only Japanese restaurant that plates ice cream with random wafer sticks – there is a Japanese restaurant in Hawthorn (can’t remember the name – Samurai something) that does exactly the same thing! Such weirdos!

I know how you feel! It’s so annoying when restaurants are badly lit lol i mean sure it creates a great atmosphere but so annoying for us bloggers to take half decent pictures hehe and I have a lot of pre-blog pictures that i’d like to use but am simply too embarrassed 😛

This restaurant sure looks like a place Mr Bao would love to visit, he’s obsessed with Japanese food and it looks really authentic 🙂 But i think I’m more interested in the desserts especially the limited edition dessert platter SO exclusive 😀

oh my! I have always wanted to go to Iori, but in 6 years I never really made it. But this just confirms for me that I must go. Now that I’m on the permanent income bandwagon (as opposed to studying) again, I vote my next visit to Canberra coincides with an actual, face to face meeting of the Hannahs, in which we eat Japaenese food. Possibly here.

I’m always on the lookout for a restaurant recommendation- and particularly a Japanese restaurant recommendation. Sounds great. Particularly the sashimi. I remain decidedly in the not sure about black sesame and green tea column. I would love to try non-supermarket daifuku and mochi though.

They do a wonderful deep-fried daifuku too; it comes all delicious warm and crispy. Or is it mochi? Hmm. I think you’d love this place, Louise! P’raps you need to come to Canberra as well as Melbourne this year 😉

[…] again for my grandma, because she is awesome and responds to my joking about phallic food with incredible wit and wisdom. My new version amps up the coconut, and uses my beloved Medjool dates in place of the Deglet Nours […]

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About

Hannah. Writer, editor, firm believer in socks, gin, laughter, buttered toast, cheesecake, and semicolons. Currently back in Canberra after two years living in Canada; heart tingling to see what happens next.